As you all well know, we show many films here at TAPE, catering for all different ages and audiences.

Most films are given a rating by the BBFC (the British Board of Film Classification) before the film is available to view by the general public.

The ratings system is fairly self-explanatory, but the difference between advisory suggestion and law can sometimes be a little confusing even more so with the fairly recent introduction of the ’12A’ classification.

So here is a little guide for all you TAPE fans and sofa cinema-goers, so you can know the law, read the advice, and make the best decision for you and your family when visiting the cinema.

The information in these guidelines have been taken from the BBFC – if you wish to read more about specific classifications, you can visit their website here.

A U film should be suitable for audiences aged four years and over. However it is impossible to predict what may upset a child. Not all U films are specifically aimed at children but they may be rated U as they have no material that is likely to offend. By law, a child of any age can view a U rated film.

Films rated PG are suitable for general viewing, but may contain scenes that may upset or be unsuitable for younger children. A PG film should not distress a child of age 8 upwards. Parental guidance is advised. Legally, a child of any age can watch a PG rated film.

Any under 12s wishing to see a 12A rated film must be accompanied by an adult. Films rated 12A are not generally advised for children under the age of 12. It is recommended to visit the BBFCInsight website to see if the film in question is suitable for your child. Children aged 12 and over may see a 12A rated film without and adult.

By law, no-one under the age of 15 is permitted to view a film rated 15. A cinema risks losing its license if it allows entry to anyone under the age of 15. No theme in a 15 rated film is prohibited so long as the treatment is appropriate for 15 year olds and that any dangerous or illegal behaviour is not promoted by the film.

No-one under the age of 18 may see an 18 rated film at the cinema. A cinema risks losing its license if it allows entry to anyone under the age of 18. There are no prohibited themes in an 18 rated film, as adults are deemed as fit to choose their own entertainment within the law, however this means that there may be some themes tackled in the film that may be offensive to adults.

64 members of the group from all across North Wales – plus TAPE crew – hopped on the train to the top of Snowdon to take part in performance of Pharrell Williams’ ‘Happy’ – right on the mountaintop.

The music video is being filmed at various locations across North Wales, having already been filmed in Llangollen and Llandudno. We previously scouted Snowdon in October in order to choreograph the space and the time at the summit, as well as to plan the camera positions.

During this session, unfortunately we we forced to revise some of the angles due to unforeseen heavy fog (typical as it was glorious sunshine the day previous!), but we got some great shots and we were delighted with the results.

North Wales is home to some of the most beautiful natural landscapes, and it is always fun to work on a project that incorporates some of the beauty of the area that we have right on our doorsteps – even more so in a fun and exciting way!

Wonderful quote about the experience from Belinda at NWREN:

Great day yesterday! Thank you to Snowdon Mountain Railway, TAPE Community Music & Film, Lisa Spaull Choreography, Suzette Smart Textiles Artist and all the 64 NWREN MEEA Project beneficiaries who came along to take part in our North Wales version of Pharrell’s Happy video yesterday!

We came from across the North Wales region – Happy Choirs from Gwynedd, Flintshire and Wrexham all converged on Llanberis to take the Snowdon Mountain Railway up to the Summit of Snowdon, or Eryri (The Eagle’s nest) as it is known in Wales.

It was an inter-cultural and inter-generational event, with people from all ages, backgrounds and walks of life, many braved their fear of heights, difficulties in walking, vision impairements to play their part in what turned out to be a fantastic day.

We hope all those who took part had as much fun as we did, and we look forward to sharing the finished results with the world!

Well done everyone!

Special thanks to Tom Ellis who took photos and filmed an on-set mini vLog.

This weeks session of Rhyl Reflections took us to THE GRAND HOTEL in Llandudno, where our special guests Derek and Doreen were staying.

Derek and Doreen came to Rhyl from Horden – a village in County Durham – which was a mining village until the closure of the Horden Colliery. Derek worked down the mines right up until they closed in 1987.

Derek and Doreen visited Rhyl in 1966 where they stayed at the Derbyshire Miners Holiday Camp on Marsh Road – which coincidentally is the very road where our partners Communities 1st are now based.

Both shared their fond memories of how clean and pleasant Rhyl was, and how posh they though the area was! They told us of memories of their visits to the fair, of swimming in the swimming pool on the Holiday Camp – something which their 18 month old son would try to do whilst fully clothed within an hour of their arrival in Rhyl!

Other memories included enjoying the lively on-site entertainment and of seeing the many steam trains arrive and leave Rhyl, full of holiday makers – and how the train drivers would toot their whistle to the delight of the on looking children.

Derek and Doreen remember the on-site entertainment team keeping the guests up-to-date with the 1966 World Cup Knock-Out rounds, and how they listened to the final on the coach back home – a happy memory indeed as it was the year England beat Germany to win their one and only World Cup.

In 1986, Doreen and Derek moved to Llandudno – something they would have never done had it not been for their visit to Rhyl 20 years earlier – which opened their eyes to how different life in Rhyl could be from the current life they were leading.

A huge thank you to Derek and Doreen for sharing their wonderful memories of Rhyl with us.
Also, massive thanks to the folk at The Grand in Llandudno for allowing us to film on site – such a beautiful building.
And as always, thank you to the Rhyl Reflections team for all your hard work as we push on with the project.